Display board



July 9, 1968 T. L. CROSS 3,391,796

DI SPLAY BOARD Filed Dec. 23, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 28L INVENTOR.

. THOMAS L. CROSS F 1c. 2. BY

ATTORNEYS T. L. CROSS DISPLAY BOARD July 9, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 25, 1965 IVA I8 FIG. 4.

u v n a FIG. 5.

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INVENTOR. THOMAS L. CROSS BY F G dam,

ATTORNEYS FIG. 8.

United States Patent 0 3,391,796 DISPLAY BOARD Thomas L. Cross, 6245 W. Harvard Drive, Denver, Colo. 80227 Filed Dec. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 515,838 4 Claims. (Cl. 211-169) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The display device of the present invention comprises a series of pivotally mounted panels positioned on a stationary wall hanger. The hanger contains an upper and a lower parallel spaced receiving member, both of which have a plurality of congruent holes spaced therein in opposed relation. A series of panels, each having an upper and a lower pivoting dowel means attached to the upper and lower edges of the panel which are inserted into a respective upper and lower hole in the said hanger receiving members.

The present invention is particularly directed to an improved construction in display panels, means for securing the panel members in assembled relation with the pivot means and pivotally mounting the panels to a stationary display stand or hanger. The invention comprises a plurality of large panels or frames which are pivotally mounted in leaf fashion on a wall-mounted hanger. The panels are interchangeable and can be easily removed from the hanger. Various types of indicia may be displayed on both sides of the panels. They can be used for art displays, bulletin boards, charts or map holders, along with nu merous other visual teaching devices. Because of their pivotal mounting, a plurality of panel surfaces can partially be used at one time or the panels may be selectively thumbed through like pages in a book. Being very light in veight, the panels may be easily removed from the hanger by lifting them upward from the bottom edge. The versatile panels once removed from the hanger can then be laid on a work surface where attachment of materials can best be facilitated. Because of their interchangeability, a singular teaching aid can be used at different times in a number of classrooms.

The prior art display boards of this type are for the most part quite elaborate and expensive, compared with the simple cardboard and wood construction of the instant invention. Most of the prior art involved heavy metal framed panels with intricate hardware for pivotally mounting the panels to the wall hanger. Such panels of comparable size compared to the present invention, would be of a substantial weight and cannot be freely removed and transported by young children. Whereas in the present invention, the panels are constructed of a disposable cardboard with various shaped wood dowels for pivotal mounting means.

The panels of the instant invention comprise corrugated cardboard sheets with the corrugations runnning longitudinally thereof. Along the side edge thereof is provided a pivotin means, which extends outwardly from both the upper and lower edges of the panel. The extending portions comprise round pins or dowels, both of which are in coaxial alignment for pivoting of said panels about a vertical axis. In the stationary wall hanger are a series of pairs of vertically positioned holes, which are adapted to journal said pins for pivoting each of said panels about a vertical axis. The resulting simplicity of the present invention provides greater economy in manufacture, less effort in assembly and greater durability in use.

Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved educational device of the character referred to having a plurality of display panels arranged for pivotal movement, so as to expose the subject matter carried by one or more of the panels.

A second object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the type referred to wherein the respective panels may be releasably, rotatably mounted in a stationary hanger.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an educational device of the type referred to wherein the panels are constructed of lightweight materials so that small children can easily remove and mount the panels in said hanger.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide an educational device of the character referred to wherein the simplicity of construction and materials used results in substantial economy in manufacture and assembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an educational display device that is rugged, handy to use without specific skills, troublefree, and decorative in appearance.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a display device which offers a maximum of display area for a minimum of space occupied.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a prospective view of the stationary wall hanger with a plurality of pivotal frames mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the hanger with a single panel mounted thereon, portions of which are broken away to conserve space;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the hanger;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIGURE 3 with portions broken away to conserve space;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the pivoting edge of the display panel;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the upper pivot of a display board with portions of the board broken away to save space;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a line 77 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the pivot means;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a side elevational view of still another embodiment of the pivot means of a display board with portions of the board broken away to conserve space;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 1111 of FIGURE 10.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of the present invention and, initially to FIGURE 1, for this purpose it will be seen that the display device has been designated in its entirety by reference numeral 10. The display device comprises a series of pivotally mounted panels 12 which are mounted on a stationary wall hanger 14. The hanger 14 can be attached to any wall surface in a classroom preferably at blackboard level. In FIG- URE l to 3 of the drawings, the hanger 14, constructed to handle five panels, is merely for purposes of illustration. The hanger can be constructed to hold as few or as many panels as needed. The panels 12 are swingably mounted in the hanger 14 and can be easily removed by sliding them upward in the hanger.

The hanger 14 comprises a vertical crossmember 16 which maintains two similar receiving members 18 in parallel spaced relation to each other. This crossmember and receiving members are attached to each other by means or" screws 29 or similar fastening means. Located in the crossmernber 16 are a pair of Openings 22 used to mount the hanger 14 on a wall surface. The upper receiving member 18a has a plurality of holes 24 longitudinally spaced thereon. On the lower receiving member 18L are a similar plurality of holes 26 congruently spaced relative to the holes 2 in the upper receiving member 18. Each hole 26 is in coaxial alignment with a similar hole 24 to form a pair of journals for the pivotal mounting dowels 28 carried by the panels 12.

To mount one of the panels 12 in the wall hanger 14, the dowel 28 at the upper edge of the panel is first inserted in the loose-fitting journal or hole 24 and slid upward until the panel comes in contact with the receiving member 18:1. The dowel 28L at the lower edge of the. panel is then aligned with the corresponding hole 26 in the lower receiving member 18L and slid downward into engagement therewith. The upper and lower receiving members 18:: and 18L are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the height of the panel 12 so as to allow said vertical sliding. The upper dowel 28a is slightly longer than the lower counterpart so that when the panel 12 is slid downward into engagement with the lower journal 26 the dowel 28a will not disengage from is correjournal 24. Such a type of pivot means is very simple to mount or release so that school children can easily manipulate the panels without adult supervision.

The panels 12 themselves are constructed of corrugated cardboard with the corrugation 30 runnning longitudinally thereof as can be seen in FIGURES 5 and 11. Placed around the edge of the panel is a border 32 made of a cloth or other type of adhesive tape which is also very economical and lightweight. The tape 32, which covers the exposed edge of the cardboard corrugations, provides a smooth handling edge and has a decorative appearance. Because of the extreme light weight of the panels 12 a boarder of the type which gives added rigidity is not necessary. The panels are used to display various types of indicia such as art work, maps, charts and other visal teaching aids. The indicia can be viewed from both sides of the panels depending on the positioning thereof. The indicia can be temporarily attached to the cardboard panels by thumbtacks, staples or various types of adhesive tapes. Even though the panels are quite rugged, their cardboard construction allows them to be replaced at a very minimum cost.

The stationary wall hanger 14 is constructed of a hardwood such as oak or a similar material. The journals or holes '24 and 26 along with the corresponding dowels 28 which loosely fit therein are both hard wood and function as an excellent pivotal bearing. When the panels 12 are mounted in the hanger 14 they are free to pivot about their respective axis a full 180 degrees. They can be easily thumbed through as pages in a book. When the panels are fully opened they will lie flush with the wall surface with a single side of two panels being fully exposed. If the outer surface of the outside panel is left blank the the panels can be closed so that the displayed indicia cannot be seen.

FIGURE 5 sets forth a specific embodiment of the pivoting dowels 28 carried by the display panel 12. The upper and lower dowels 23a and 28L as mentioned above are constructed as one continuous dowel 38 which is attached to the inside edge 34 of a panel, as seen in crosssection in FIGURE 5. Running longitudinally thereof is a slot 36 which contains the edge 34 of the panel 12. The end portions of the continuous dowel 38 extend from the upper and lower edges of the panel 12 to form the pivotal mounting portions, 2811 and 28L.

FEGURES 6 and 7, illustrate another embodiment wherein the pivoting dowels 28 are formed at the ends of a continuous member 40 of a square cross section. A similar slot 42 as to the one shown FIGURE 5 runs longitudinally thereof and is adapted to contain the edge 34 of the panel 12. in both of the embodiments of FIGURES 5 and 6 the panel is held in the respective slots 36 and 42 by any type of adhesive. Also both embodiments the slot is only as long as the side of the panel 12 and does not extend into the pivoting dowels 28.

FIGURES 8 and 9 disclose an embodiment of the invention, similar to that of FIGURES 6 and 7 except that the edge 34 of the panel 12 is attached to the pivoting member 49 adjacent thereto by means of staples 44 in place of the slots as shown in the previous figures. The fact that the axis of rotation of the FIGURE 8 embodiment is slightly offset from the plane of the panels 12 allows the panels when in the closed position to lie in a more flush relation with the wall surface.

FIGURES l0 and 11 set forth still another embodiment of the instant invention. Contrary to the otherembodiments the pivoting dowels 28 are two separate pegs 46 instead of a continuous member as shown in the other figures. The peg 46 at its outer extremity is shaped as a pivoting dowel 28, similar to the other embodiments.

The remaining portion 48 of the peg 46 is circular in cross section but of a reduced diameter so that it may fit between the corrugations 30 of the panel. The end portion 59 of the peg 46 has a tapered shape so as to facilitate insertion of the member between the corrugations. As in the other embodiments the upper pivoting dowel 28a is of longer length than the lower pivoting dowel 28L for reasons previously stated. The reduced diameter portion 48 extends into the edge of the cardboard panel a sufiicient distance to give the necessary strength so that the peg 46 will not break loose from the corrugated panel 12. Also for reasons of added strength and rigidity the peg 46 is placed in a corrugation 30 inward from the outermost corrugation as seen in FIGURE 11. The peg 46 is held in place by means of a staple 52 as shown in FIGURE 10 or a suitable adhesive. To give additional strength to the panel the corner of the panel immediately surrounding the peg could be saturated with a similar glue or adhesive. The corrugations 30 in the panel perform the combined functions of giving rigidity to the critical dimension of the panel and also providing means for fastening the pivoting members 36 to the panel. Because of this construction it is not necessary to have any type of frame surrounding the panel to give it necessary rigidity as is needed in the prior art.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple and erficient means are herein provided for accomplishing the objects of the instant invention,,but while the embodiments shown and described are well adapted to serve the purpose for which they are intended, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise structure set forth, but includes within its purview, such changes therein which may well occur to those skilledin the art within the broad teaching thereof and the scope of protection afforded hereby shall be limited only insofar as said limitations are expressly set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A teaching device for displaying various indicia for selective exhibition in a classroom comprising: a support means having vertically spaced substantially horizontal receiving portions, each of said portions having a plurality of spaced apertures aligned vertically with corresponding apertures of the other portion; at least one display panel having continuous dowel portion attached to one side of said display panel and adapted for releasably mounting said panel in pivotal relation in a pair of said vertically aligned apertures of the support means; said pivotal mounting dowel portion including axially aligned ends extending outwardly from the horizontal of said panel and being received into a pair of said vertically aligned apertures in a manner to releasably support said panel in said support means.

2 A teaching device for displaying various indicia for selective exhibition in a classroom comprising: a support means having vertically spaced substantially horizontal receiving portions, each of said portions having a plurality of spaced apertures aligned vertically with correspond ing apertures of the other portion; and, at least one display panel having a continuous attaching portion releasably connected to the inner edge of said panel, said attaching portion including axially aligned dowel means extending outwardly from the ends of said continuous attaching portion and designed to be pivotally received in an opposing congruent pair of said vertically aligned apertures in a manner to releasably and pivotally support said panel in said support means.

3. A teaching device for displaying various indicia for selective exhibition in a classroom comprising: a support means having vertically spaced substantially horizontal receiving portions, each of said portions having a plurality of spaced apertures aligned vertically with corresponding apertures of the other portion; and, at least one display panel constructed of corrugated cardboard with the corrugations running in a vertical direction and an attaching portion releasably positioned and received within a corrugation adjacent an edge of the panel and dowel means axially aligned and connected to each end of said attaching portion, said dowel means extending outwardly from the ends of said attaching portion and having a part thereof sized to be positioned in said corru ation adjacent an edge of the panel, said dowel means designed to be pivotally received in an opposing congruent pair of said vertically aligned apertures in a manner to releasably and pivotally support said panel in said support means.

4. A teaching device for displaying various indicia for selective exhibition in a classroom comprising: a support means having vertically spaced substantially horizontal receiving portions, each of said portions having a plurality of spaced apertures aligned vertically with corresponding apertures of the other portion; at least one display panel constructed of corrugated cardboard with the corrugations running in a vertical direction, said display panel having a dowel portion attached to and positioned Within a corrugation adjacent to an edge of said panel; and, fastening means fastening said dowel portion to said panel, said dowel portion having axially aligned ends and having a portion thereof sized for positioning in said corrugation adjacent an edge of said panel, said dowel ends designed to be pivotally received in an opposing congruent pair of said vertically aligned apertures in a manner to releasably and pivotally support said panel in said support means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 943,821 12/1909 Feldmann 211169 X 1,116,484 11/1914 Ralph 211169 1,240,634 9/1917 Williams 52-625 2,220,189 11/1940 Wolters 211169 X 2,337,154 12/1943 Derman 312259 2,488,535 11/1949 Hamburg 312-234 X 3,017,999 1/1962 Cano 211-169 X CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. 

